Monday, October 23, 2006

Just how fucking stupid IS Joel Johannesen?

Yes, I realize that that question is almost beneath asking, but work with me here. We here at CC HQ naturally like to poke fun at the frequently absurd, ridiculous, inane and mostly idiotic things that emanate from the wankersphere. But, every so often, someone says something so jaw-droppingly dumbfuck that it deserves special consideration.

Consider this recent piece by Proud To Be Canadian's Joel Johannesen, which opens thusly:

To liberals and their media and academia and the liberal-left voter generally, finding no fault in the new Harper Conservative government “raises red flags” (actual quote from a professor today). Yes, doing good means there’s something wrong.

Yes, by gosh, that sure is a hoot -- some whacked-out liberal academic finding "no fault" with the CPoC and suggesting there's something suspicious about it. Man, that prof must be a total fucking retard -- if this is what actually happened. However, since we all know Joel, we can immediately assume he's fudging the truth somewhere. So what's the problem, Joel?

It’s a “news” story not about how the Conservative government has in fact been so frugal in their expense accounts (damn! We must quash this!), but about how this must (must, by virtue of “science”!) point to corruption within the Conservative government. Based on pure bunk. Again. (Voila!)

Yes, by God, those blasted Tories are being frugal, and we just can't stand for that. Oh, wait ... apparently, there's more. I know -- let's go to the actual news piece and puzzle this one out for ourselves, shall we?

Labour Minister Jean-Pierre Blackburn was as surprised as anyone to learn that, according to publicly posted accounts, he hadn't spent a dime on hospitality this past summer.

I'm sorry ... not a dime?? That's not "frugal," that's just plain weird. So how does Blackburn explain this?

"I'm a minister who has to travel many times in different regions in Quebec, it's part of my responsibility," Blackburn said when asked about his latest quarterly "Proactive Disclosure" of expenses.

Well, how about that? Even Blackburn is puzzled by this since, as he openly admits, he does quite a bit of travelling and one would expect to have at least some hospitality-related expenses? But none?? Yes, I think that's cause for some raised eyebrows. But Blackburn recovers:

Blackburn's office later said it had missed the Sept. 30 reporting deadline, and would add some hospitality receipts to his next quarterly report.

Well, well ... how about that? Apparently, it's not so much laudable "frugality" as it is sloppy bookkeeping, or even (dare we say it?) possible fraud. So, despite Joel's completely artificial outrage, what exactly is it that has someone's antenna stalks all aquiver?

But for Arthur Schafer, director of the Centre for Professional and Applied Ethics at the University of Manitoba, the story of frugality among Conservative cabinet ministers is more about absent receipts than missed deadlines.

When a minister's lone hospitality claim over three months is a $16.99 grocery bill for a party to celebrate the work of 15 ministerial staff, or $44.31 for "refreshments" for 14 people, the public has every right to be skeptical, according to Schafer.

Um ... yeah. In short, Joel is (once again) absolutely full of shit. This had nothing to do with frugality, and everything to do with blatantly unrealistic expense reports. But I'm sure you can read the rest of that article just as well as I can narrate it.

I'm not going to say Joel is a moron. But I will admit that, after spending any time over at PTBC, I actually swing by "The Politic" for the comparatively superior intellectual content.